Supachicken

Q: Can't pair iPhone via Bluetooth

Hey Guys,

I have a new 11" Air which is incredible but for the life of me I can't get Bluetooth pairing to work with my iPhone 4 so I can tether.

It pairs the device in System Preferences but I try to connect them I get to errors.

If I connect from the MBA I get an out of range error and If I connect it from the iPhone I get a message saying that the device is not supported - and it prompts me to remove the device from the Phone?

Both devices are up-to-date and I have bluetooth working with the iPhone and my MBP.

Tried resetting PRAM but still no luck.

Any ideas?

11" MacBook Air 2GB 64GB SSD, Mac OS X (10.6.5)

Posted on Nov 12, 2010 2:51 PM

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Q: Can't pair iPhone via Bluetooth

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  • by jortlipp,

    jortlipp jortlipp Nov 29, 2010 10:12 PM in response to Supachicken
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 29, 2010 10:12 PM in response to Supachicken
    I'm am getting the exact same issue with my new MacBook Air and iPhone 4. Have tried a friends iPhone 4, to see if it was a hardware issue on the phone. But same issue.

    Works fine with my MacBook Pro 15", so seem specific to Air.

    Have an appointment at Genius bar on Sunday for them to check it out, will let you know if I get a resolution.
  • by Glenn.p,

    Glenn.p Glenn.p Nov 30, 2010 8:58 PM in response to jortlipp
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 30, 2010 8:58 PM in response to jortlipp
    I am experiencing the same problem. Please let us know what the Genius says...

    Glenn
  • by Andy :],

    Andy :] Andy :] Dec 1, 2010 1:20 AM in response to Supachicken
    Level 2 (400 points)
    Dec 1, 2010 1:20 AM in response to Supachicken
    If you want to pair your iPhone for tethering, enable it otherwise if you try to do file transfer, that is not a feature of the iPhone.

    Regards

    Andy
  • by Glenn.p,

    Glenn.p Glenn.p Dec 1, 2010 1:27 AM in response to Supachicken
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 1, 2010 1:27 AM in response to Supachicken
    Andy - What?

    We are just trying to do the initial pair with the macbook air. Note that for me (and possibly others here) it worked fine with other versions of the macbook (just not the air).

    Glenn.
  • by mp00,

    mp00 mp00 Dec 23, 2010 12:55 PM in response to Supachicken
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 23, 2010 12:55 PM in response to Supachicken
    Having the exact same problem. iPhone 4 unable to pair via Bluetooth to MB Air 11in. Tried resetting everything, no good.
  • by Scott Newman,

    Scott Newman Scott Newman Dec 23, 2010 4:49 PM in response to Supachicken
    Level 2 (250 points)
    Dec 23, 2010 4:49 PM in response to Supachicken
    When I got my MacBook Air I elected to let Migration Assistant copy all of my data and apps from my previous MacBook. Afterward, I couldn't pair either of my bluetooth mice with the MacBook Air. The bluetooth preferences had been copied from the previous computer and both mice were already showing up on the MacBook Air.

    I solved the problem by deleting both bluetooth preference files and rebooting. I was then able to pair my bluetooth mice. I have no idea whether this will work, but it's easy to try. There's one preference file in Home Folder/Library/Preferences. There's another one in BootVolume/Library/Preferences.
  • by hawleyrw,

    hawleyrw hawleyrw Dec 23, 2010 8:32 PM in response to Supachicken
    Level 3 (625 points)
    Dec 23, 2010 8:32 PM in response to Supachicken
    Getting the same on my 3GS...just to let you know. I'm not setup for tethering, or do I want to (with what AT&T wants to charge for it in addition to the data plan.

    just my 2 cents...
  • by mp00,

    mp00 mp00 Dec 25, 2010 11:23 AM in response to Scott Newman
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 25, 2010 11:23 AM in response to Scott Newman
    Scott,
    You're a genius, thanks!

    I deleted those bluetooth preferences and now I can pair my iPhone 4 with my macbook. I never did migration assistant so I'm not sure why my preferences might have gotten corrupt. I'm now connected to tethering via BT..Thanks!
  • by Diana Cossato,

    Diana Cossato Diana Cossato Jan 18, 2011 2:03 PM in response to mp00
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jan 18, 2011 2:03 PM in response to mp00
    Hello everyone,

    same problem: brand new Macbook Air 11" and Iphone 4 with 4.2.1 and can't connect via BT. I had tried before with a simple Nokia that connected seamlessly with my first generation Macbook (2006), so I assume there's an issue with BT on the Air. I have tried deleting the files Scott was indicating, but still no luck.

    Tethering is solved via USB, but it would be nice to be able to use BT as well, for the times I don't have my cable with me and also simply because it's there and it doesn't make sense for it not to work. Has Scott's workaround delivered results for others?

    I hope someone at Apple reads this and that they'll solve the issue in a future software update.

    Diana
  • by OhNoItsMrBill,

    OhNoItsMrBill OhNoItsMrBill Jan 28, 2011 3:08 PM in response to Supachicken
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 28, 2011 3:08 PM in response to Supachicken
    I had the same problem, but I think i figured out a solution and its one of those "Duh" moments. Make sure you are not connected to the internet when you try and pair. I went in and made my airport connection inactive after 20 tries at pairing and whammo, it worked.
  • by hawleyrw,

    hawleyrw hawleyrw Jan 28, 2011 3:53 PM in response to OhNoItsMrBill
    Level 3 (625 points)
    Jan 28, 2011 3:53 PM in response to OhNoItsMrBill
    I've tried all of the suggested solutions...still can't make it work.
  • by dmacfarlane,

    dmacfarlane dmacfarlane Feb 15, 2011 10:56 PM in response to Scott Newman
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 15, 2011 10:56 PM in response to Scott Newman
    Scott - Thanks a lot

    I had the same situation as mp00, I never did migration assistant either, so I'm not sure why my preferences might have gotten corrupt. I'm now connected to tethering via BT...

    Thinking about it, I am pretty sure this is the fix regardless of wether a migration was done or not .

    Thank you again,

    Daniel
  • by angry giant,

    angry giant angry giant Jun 30, 2011 10:27 PM in response to dmacfarlane
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 30, 2011 10:27 PM in response to dmacfarlane

    Daniel,

     

    I'm having the same problem - iPhone 3GS, 2010 MacBook Pro 15" i7.

     

    I've only discovered your post now, and was wondering whether you had found a fix.

     

    Either way, I'll continue poking around tonight, hoping to figure something out. If I fix it, I'll post a solution.

     

    Thanks,

    -Armand

  • by angry giant,

    angry giant angry giant Jun 30, 2011 10:55 PM in response to dmacfarlane
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 30, 2011 10:55 PM in response to dmacfarlane
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